


Noticed

by TrueBlueSpark



Category: Azumanga Daioh
Genre: F/F, Kitty Panties, Romance, Tables Being Turned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-03
Updated: 2012-10-03
Packaged: 2017-11-15 12:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/527496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueBlueSpark/pseuds/TrueBlueSpark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaori is nothing special, not like her beloved Sakaki-san. But if she can catch her crush's eye, just for a second, maybe she'll have a chance? A quick shopping trip might just give her the "in" she needs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Noticed

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Panfandom Yuri Anonymous Kink Meme](http://thebigyurimeme.livejournal.com/) on LiveJournal, originally posted March 19, 2009. The prompt: "Azumanga Daioh, Sakaki/Kaori, kitty underwear." This may see a continuation one day if inspiration cooperates, but for now, it stands well on its own.

The first time, Kaori thought her eyes were just playing tricks. But a few days later, she caught a glimpse of them again. And pretty soon she was peeking every chance she had, even noticing that there were several different patterns, and it was clear that she had been right all along.

Sakaki, her long-time crush, the cool, bold, athletic, beautiful, and totally-out-of-her-league Sakaki-san... wore adorable kitty panties.

It was a shock akin to discovering that the leader of your biker gang played Pokémon. Of course there wasn’t anything _wrong_ with liking cute things, but it just didn’t seem to fit Sakaki’s image. Then again... Sakaki had the right to like whatever she _wanted_ to, Kaori thought fiercely. So maybe it was Sakaki’s _image_ that didn’t fit _her_?

Kaori let out a small sigh as she scrutinized her face in her bedroom mirror. It had taken her a while to realize what this revelation might mean for _her_. No one would ever call her beautiful. She was a mousy, skinny little thing. But... maybe, just maybe, she could manage cute? If only there was some way to get Sakaki to notice her... some way to catch her eye...

...like Sakaki had caught hers? Kaori stared at her reflection. It was a crazy idea, but there was nothing to be lost by trying it. She stuck her head out her door and called down the stairs, “Mom, I’m heading out to do some shopping!”

\------

Another day at Sakaki’s high school, another class period in the gym coming to a close.

“C’mon, Chiyo-suke, let’s get a move on!”

“Ah, yes! Sakaki-san, we’ll be in the hall, okay?”

“Mm.” Sakaki nodded at Chiyo, who was leaving with (or, more accurately, “being dragged out by”) Tomo and the rest of the group. It was kind of them to wait for her, running late as she was. She was lucky to have these friends.

Sakaki changed back into her school uniform as quickly as possible, as usual not wanting to be exposed longer than she had to be. She put her gym clothes away and turned toward the door, already moving forward, ready to leave the gym behind and —

_Nya~_

Wait, what was that? Was she seeing things, or was it—? She turned her head back just slightly, lowering her eyes as discreetly as she could...

It was true. There was another girl there wearing kitty underwear, right across the room from her. Kaori, she realized. The girl was only starting to change; she had just tugged her bloomers down as Sakaki was turning toward the door. And indeed, there was a happy kitty face and pair of paw prints on her panties.

Sakaki watched, trying not to draw attention to herself, as Kaori stood in bra and panties, evidently in no hurry to finish changing as she talked to Chihiro. She’d never seen anyone else at the school with kitty panties before — not that she had actively _checked_. She’d always felt like she was being childish for wearing them, but maybe it wasn’t so if she wasn’t the only one...

As Sakaki pondered this new revelation, her eyes began to wander. For some reason, she’d never noticed Kaori’s looks before. They didn’t talk often, of course, so it was probably excusable. But looking at her like this, Sakaki realized that she was very pretty. She was short and cute, with an adorable bob haircut and a soft, slender figure that Sakaki found herself envious of. She had always secretly wished for a body like that, rather than her own oversized, overdeveloped form.

Next to Kaori, Chihiro happened to look down and notice what she was wearing. “Ahaha! Kaorin, what’s with _those_?”

Kaori’s cheeks turned red, but she cocked her head defiantly. “What? There’s nothing wrong with liking cute things!”

“Whatever you say,” Chihiro replied, rolling her eyes a bit.

Sakaki was struck with a sudden sense of fellow-feeling. That was exactly how she felt! If only she had the confidence to say it so boldly, like Kaori just had. But Kaori was cute, so cute underwear actually suited _her_...

A clattering sound echoed through the locker room. “Oh, darn, my cell phone!” Kaori put a knee on the bench in front of her and bent over to reach for her lost phone. And Sakaki, whose eyes had drifted back down to those kitty panties, got an eyeful as Kaori’s rear end flexed within them.

An unfamiliar heat bubbled up in Sakaki’s belly. She’d been admiring Kaori’s cuteness before, but this was something new. This was — Sakaki realized with shock that this was _attraction_. Her imagination was suddenly spinning an image of the girl _without_ those kitty panties, and — what was _wrong_ with her? She shouldn’t be thinking about Kaori like this! And yet she was unable — or unwilling — to turn her eyes away...

“Sakaki-san? Are you coming?” Chiyo was leaning through the locker room doorway, looking up at her with innocent curiosity.

Sakaki snapped back to herself, face growing hot as she realized in horror just how long she had been standing there, looking — no, _staring_ at her poor innocent classmate’s body. “Y-Yes!” she managed to stutter in response. She rushed to the exit, hoping desperately that no one had noticed. What would they think of her if they had? What would _Kaori_ think? They didn’t even know each other very well, but Kaori was so cute — and she liked cute things too! Sakaki was suddenly filled with dread at the thought that she might think ill of her...

At the door, she stopped and glanced back over her shoulder at Kaori, who, thankfully, had finally fastened her skirt around her waist. She looked up at the same time and met her eyes, and as Sakaki’s stomach did flips, she smiled shyly and raised a slim hand to wave goodbye. Ashamed at the way she had been (was _still_ ) thinking about her, feeling as though her thoughts were written plain as day across her face, Sakaki could only nod swiftly and run out the door.

“Sakaki-san, is everything alright?” Chiyo asked. “Your face is all red!”

“Oh no! Sakaki-san’s caught the dreaded Locker Room Fever!”

“Do I even need to _tell_ you there’s no such thing, Tomo?”

The conversation quickly devolved into an argument, for which Sakaki was grateful. She patted Chiyo’s head absently to reassure her, but her mind was elsewhere. Back in the locker room, with a girl she’d never really paid attention to before now...

\------

_‘Did that... really just happen?’_

Kaori managed to finish changing before her legs all but gave out. She slumped against her locker with a hand over her heart, staring up at the ceiling. “Hey, you okay?” Chihiro asked, but Kaori didn’t even hear her.

Was she imagining things? Or had that really just happened? Had the same Sakaki that she’d been admiring from afar for years really stopped and looked at _her_? Even though she’d bought the kitty panties hoping they might catch Sakaki’s attention, deep down she hadn’t believed it would _work_. But it _had_. Sakaki had _noticed_ her, uninteresting though she was.

But what had come after was the really unbelievable part. With a surge of daring that had surprised even her, Kaori had pretended to drop her cell phone and bent over to pick it up, right in front of Sakaki. And Sakaki had _looked_. Kaori was sure she had — she’d felt her classmate’s gaze on her like a heat lamp. Sakaki had looked, right up until Chiyo called from the door, and then she had _stammered_ , and _blushed_... Oh, god, Sakaki was so _cute_ when she blushed. It made Kaori want to push her up against the wall and give her a whole _new_ reason to blush and —

And now _she_ was the one whose face was turning red. Once again fervently thankful that none of her classmates were mind-readers, Kaori ducked her head and finally dashed out of the locker room. The thought of confessing to Sakaki still left her paralyzed with apprehension. But for the first time, she thought that maybe, one day, she might work up the nerve after all.

\------

To outward appearances, nothing really changed after that day.

But now, it was Sakaki whose eyes sought out Kaori in the crowd.

And a week later, an all-too-familiar name popped up on the caller ID of Kaori’s cell phone, and she sent a brief but very heartfelt thanks to that lucky pair of panties before answering.


End file.
